This invention relates to power transmitting devices for connecting a rotatable drive member to a load, and deals more particularly with such a device generating and harnessing centrifugal force as a vital part of the power transmission scheme.
A general object of this invention is to provide a power transmitting device for connecting a rotatable drive member to a load and which device is non-stalling regardless of the heaviness of the load being driven. That is, even if the load becomes extremely heavy or completely stops, the drive member may continue to be rotated by the motor, engine or other power source without the motor or engine being loaded to the point of being stalled or damaged.
Another object of the invention is to provide a power transmitting device which inherently functions similar to an automatic transmission or torque converter causing force to be transmitted to the load at a speed consistent with the load while the drive member continues to be rotated at a substantially constant speed. That is, when the load is heavy force or torque is applied to the load at a relatively low speed, and when the load is light force or torque is applied to the load at a relatively high speed, while the speed of the drive member remains substantially constant for different loads.
Another object of the invention is to provide a power transmitting device which may be configured to drive either a load with a reciprocating input member or a load with a unidirectionally rotatable input member.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a power transmitting device of the foregoing character wherein the efficiency of the device increases with increases in the speed of the rotatable input member so that, for a given load, less power is required to drive the drive member as its speed increases.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the drawings and from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.